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News Roundup | 2.22.17

Emory Expands Summer Housing for International Students

EMORY — The Office of International Student Life (OISL) sent an email Monday to all international students in response to “unease and anxiety” surrounding “immigration, travel bans and work visas,” expanding eligibility for summer housing and reminding them of summer jobs and classes available at Emory. OISL will rent Clairmont Campus apartments to all students who complete a form and claim they are potentially at risk of seeking re-entry into the United States should they leave for the summer, according to Program Coordinator for International Student Life Rick Huizinga. In its email, OISL encouraged students to focus on studies and research instead of worrying about the current political climate.

Trump Admin. Introduces New Deportation Rules

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary John Kelly released documents Tuesday detailing Trump’s planned executive orders on immigration and border security, according to The New York Times. The executive orders outlined in the documents would instruct Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents to deport all undocumented immigrants convicted of any criminal offense, The Times reported.

Second Convicted in Atlanta Bribery

ATLANTA — Charles P. Richards Jr., president of ABCO Builders, pled guilty Thursday to bribing an unknown city official $185,000 in exchange for accepting construction contract bids, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. Last month, contractor and owner of the E.R. Mitchell Company Elvin Mitchell Jr. became the first to plead guilty in the Atlanta City Hall bribery case and admitted he paid more than $1 million in bribes between 2010 and 2015 in return for city contracts, according to CBS46. Law enforcement does not yet know which Atlanta City Hall officials accepted the bribes.

McMaster Becomes National Security Adviser

PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald J. Trump appointed Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster as his national security adviser Monday, according to The New York Times. The decision came after former National Security Advisor Michael T. Flynn resigned last week after a Washington Postreport disclosed he misled Vice President Mike Pence and other top administration officials about the nature of his communications with Russian officials.

Yiannopoulos Leaves Breitbart Following Pedophilia Outrage

NEW YORK — Breitbart editor Milo Yiannopoulos resigned Tuesday following the release of a video in which he appeared to condone pedophilia and underage sexual relationships, The New York Times reported. Yiannopoulos credited his resignation in a Feb. 21 statement to his unwillingness “to detract from [his] colleagues’ important reporting,” and stated he made the decision independently. Simon & Schuster withdrew its publication deal Monday for Yiannopoulos’ memoir, Dangerous. The Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) also withdrew a speaking invitation, according to The Washington Post. About half a dozen Breitbart employees threatened to quit if Yiannopoulos wasn’t fired, according to The Post.

Emory FLIP Pres. Signs Letter

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Emory First-Generation Income Partnership (FLIP) Founder and College senior Harpreet Singh signed a letter written by Brown University Student Body President Viet Nguyenthat urged select universities to automatically waive all college application fees for first-generation and low-income applicants beginning with the 2017-18 application cycle. The letter was signed by 26 student leaders in first-generation and low-income student groups at top-tier universities. Although nearly all U.S. universities already offer application fee waivers, the initiative is designed to encourage first-generation and low-income students to apply to college, Singh said. In the letter, Nguyen criticized the lack of socio-economic diversity at the universities included and urged them to follow the example of colleges such as Bowdoin College (Maine) and Trinity College (Conn.), which automatically waived application fees for first-generation and low-income students beginning in 2015.